The Hungry Heart Journeys with William Colenso

Peter Wells has presented a wonderful book to us with Hungry Heart, his thorough biography of 19^th century Cornish missionary, William Colenso.   The name Colenso is linked to many important parts of our nation’s history.  He arrived here as a young missionary and printer with a charismatic passion to spread the Good Word.  Peter Wells has made his name as a novelist, but his skills as a researcher and collector shine through in this book.  He charts the life of William in New Zealand from his marriage to Elizabeth, his presence and outspokenness at the signing of the Treaty at Waitangi and then his life and trials in the Hawke’s Bay where he spent the majority of his life.

The realities of colonial life, coping with every day trials and the political realities of being in the vanguard of settlers arriving on this land are well documented and beautifully described.  Colenso’s downfall when the truth of his relationship with his domestic servant, Ripeka, became public, causing the end of his marriage and indeed his family has dominated much of historical recall of his life. 

There is a small chapter on rumours that Colenso may have had sexual relations with Maori Men.  This surprised Wells and despite hearsay about what some lost diaries may have said, he found no evidence to enable anyone to know what nugget of truth there may or may not have been to this aspect of the missionary’s nature.

Colenso always spoke out.  Biting his tongue or showing tact was not his nature.  He also reflected and thought things through.  In his later life this made him a pioneer.  Wells tells us: “ Yet From today’s viewpoint it was just this insistence on a personal truth that seems so authentic.  Time – and the Waitangi Tribunal – has borne out so much of what he said.  He was speaking in December 1871 to an audience who were sure they were never going to be caught out. “

I wish I had personally known this more human and well-rounded Colenso, rather than the zealous Anglican Missionary from earlier chapters.  If more people had listened to what he had to say, our nation’s path to reconciliation might now have been completed.

Published in Express Newspaper 22 February 2012

Vietnam surprises

A recent change in business circumstances gave my man the perfect opportunity.  My excuse of “I can’t be away too long and I really need to keep an eye on things was gone”, so he swooped.  How about a holiday to Vietnam?

Asia has never been on my must travel to list.  I love Europe and quite like America.  I am over 6 foot and very fair so no blending in as a local was going to be possible.  The handful of foreign languages I speak include nothing from Asia.

But why not?  Something outside the norm could be just what I needed to regroup.  We researched and came up with a House of Travel organised group tour.  Sounded very safe and organised.  I can do something better said Ramona from House of Travel.  How about a customised tour with Active Asia?  It didn’t cost much more and could be rejigged by us as we went if we needed time out, or wanted more time shopping or exploring a particular area. It also provided a guide meeting us at each airport and checking us into our hotel and then meeting us for the organised bits of the holiday.

My first few hours in Vietnam, were in Saigon.  Officially this is Ho Chi Minh City but mostly only when written down.  We arrived on a flight from Singapore where we had taken an overnight break.  The local guide met us as the airport which still has Vietnam War Era helicopter hangars along the taxi way. 

His first piece of information was that the 7 km drive into the city would take 45 minutes.  In the last 10-15 years the modern world has arrived in Vietnam and this new consumer society is mostly transported by motor scooter.  There are hundreds on them on all the roads and they carry people and boxes and almost anything that needs to go from A to B. So the roads are packed and 40 kmh would be the top speed for a city journey and you never know when a bicycle, motorbike or buffalo may wander out in front of you.  And of course the other obstacle is pedestrians including us who quickly learn to just walk into the traffic and keep walking as it drives around you.  You cannot hire a car if you were feeling brave enough, as a Vietnamese driving licence is required. Our guides came with matching drivers!

This country is taking Ho Chi Minh’s message of progress through education to its heart.  People live and work in their businesses be it a shop, a sand barge, a fishing boat, or a fish farm.  To my eyes it looked slum like.  However Vietnam is not to be underestimated.  Samsung, Canon, Adidas and many other major corporations manufacture much of their product here.  The three guides who shared our time in Vietnam had all grown up subsistence farming and now in their 30s are earning good money guiding people like us. These people are learning their value to the world.

Once Tuang had us checked into our hotel on that first day we bravely learnt how to cross a street and went off to the local market and then later found a yummy and busy restaurant and had our first Vietnamese meal.  Bring on the chilli, coriander and fish sauce!

The following morning Tuang took us to Cu Chi to see the amazing tunnels that foiled America’s stupid war!  We lunched in a local restaurant on a river where the food was grown by local farmers.  A visit to the War Remnants Museum back in Saigon this afternoon added to my anger at 1960s and 70s America and my incredulity that they hadn’t learnt much about interfering in other parts of the world with their own gain in mind!

 The next day we journeyed a couple of hours to the Mekong Delta.  What a huge expanse of water!  We avoided the group tours and a locally owned traditional wooden boat took us across the river to a local orchard and then a coconut candy maker.  These are all small businesses run by 5-8 people.  Development in action is supplementing the traditional Mekong produce of rice and fish.  After a horse and wagon gave us a lift down the road, we then walked into the jungle for 15-20 minutes and again lunched at a hidden local gem of a restaurant.  It was geared up for tourists but the locals also ate there.  Then we rowed down a jungle stream back to our boat, where its Captain was still fiddling with the water pump that had been breaking down on the way across.  The presence of Tuang kept me calm.  If trouble arose he could fix it.

When we arrived back in Saigon we visited an ancient Chinese pagoda and then the wholesale market that the local retailers visit. High end labelled products from clothes and shoes to suitcases and confectionery were all stacked in plastic bags in tiny stalls where people were doing business, or napping or eating.  This was a full on experience.  After a long hot day it was a pleasure to escape back to our hotel for a swim and then a drink at the rooftop bar that was frequented by GIs back in the 60s.

The next day we farewelled Tuan and flew with Vietnam Airlines to Danang about halfway up Viet Nam on the coast.  Our destination was the medieval town of Hoi An and a few days rest based at the Golden Sands beach resort. We spent 4 days in Hoi An with Tuong as our local guide.  The resort had an amazing pool which we did use but it rained and rained and the wind blew in between the fine periods.   One day the river came up and low streets flooded.  During this we took a boat to Red Bridge cooking school along the river and cooked spring rolls, shrimp pancakes and other yummy local food.  The instructor had a great sense of humour and entertained as well as teaching us the local cuisine.

After days of full on Vietnamese food I said thank you to the French colonists.  The people here love to eat baguettes. So I had a baguette sandwich for dinner. I had been eating too much chilli and my upset stomach needed something plainer.

At local tailors Yaly I had a new suit tailor made for me.  Its size is not L or XL it is size Andrew. It all took just 2 days and looks very smart. I loved the personal service and the huge choice of fabrics on offer.

Then it was time for the 3 hour drive to the old imperial city of Hue. En route we visited Marble Mountain where marble sculptures succeeded in tempting us and then on to the museum of Cham culture.  The Cham were dominant in northern Vietnam until around the eleventh century.

We lunched near the GI’s fave spot of China Beach and then drove another 90 minutes to our Hue hotel by the Perfume River.  Hue was a smaller city and helped us to continue to unwind as we experienced more of this startlingly different country.  The next day we visited Tu Doc’s tomb.  He ruled for 35 years and spent his final years here reflecting on the needs of his people while supervising this amazing tomb and its gardens.  Back in Hue we visited the Citadel and the old imperial palace.  It had been an amazing complex but the American’s had bombed most of it, leaving only the main palace rooms.

 Lunch today was at a cafe near the citadel which is rated in Lonely Planet and is certainly rightfully popular for its spring rolls and kebabs.  This evening we found a Hue restaurant called Confetti.  The staff were dressed in starched pink shirts and provided great service.  The food was local and presented beautifully.  Even though we had a few drinks as well as several courses we were pleased to see it on the visa statement when we got home at the grand total of NZ $62.

 

The last 5 days of our journey beckoned as we flew on to Hanoi.  Again we were in a brash busy city.  Hanoi is attractive with its many lakes and the tradition of its Ancient Quarter.  This area is set up in the traditional layout of streets all specialising in specific merchandise.  Some of the old history is obscured by commercialism but it is an amazing place to wander.  Do take a map so you don’t get too lost. 

A must see in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.  Do wear trousers if you go as this is a sombre and important memorial for all Vietnamese.  Our guide helped us queue jump which would be great on a hot Hanoi day.  Afterwards there is a walk through the Palace grounds to see the simple houses where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked.  There is a well presented museum to him as well.    His messages of education and food for all along with a respect for the environment are being heeded today 40 years after he died.

Next up was Halong Bay.  This is a must visit bay of approximately 1500 limestone islands.  It is a 4 hour crazy drive north west of Hanoi.  We went with our guide and driver.  You can join a coach tour or in 2014 or thereabouts there will be a new Skytrain service from Hanoi.  We boarded a Bhaya Cruise and checked out our cabin with ensuite.  About 30 of us were overnighting on board.  The food was good.  After several days as a couple some social chit chat was quite fun too.  We visited fish farms, oyster pearl farms and a huge cave system and sailed a wide route around the bay before returning late the following morning for our drive back to Hanoi.

Vietnam!  The people are delightfully welcoming.  The country is a land of contrasts.  There is a diverse history of sadness and hope.  There are lots of pagodas and temples which shape the context of Vietnam’s history.  Shopping is fun and bargains are there if you negotiate cleverly.  And tailor-made clothing would be a key reason to head back again!

Travel Tips:

You can withdraw Vietnamese Dong from ATMs.

US Dollars are widely accepted and prices are often quoted in USD as well as in VND.

A guide and driver is an affordable alternative to group tours and using trains and taxis.

Most good hotels provide complimentary bottled water.

There is lots to see so don’t attempt to rush through Vietnam.

 Andrew and Bevan paid their own way to Vietnam.

Since coming back I have read more about Vietnam including an overview of Indochina from Thames and Hudson, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam from Former Secretary of Defense, Robert Mcnamara and the wonderfully optimistic Vietnam, Now from reporter, David Lamb.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, $36.99 HarperCollins

King Henry VIII and his famous henchman Thomas Cromwell are both well known characters from British history. 

Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Wolf Hall, in which she gives us a quite different perspective on this period in history.  Would you have wanted to get in the way of either King Henry or Thomas Cromwell?  If Wolf Hall’s characterisations are true, it might well have been a more pleasant experience than one could have anticipated.  Mantel achieves this new perspective by starting her novel a decade or more before Thomas becomes indispensable to the King, a period that most of us are less familiar with.  At this time Cromwell, a lawyer and merchant, is running his own business and also working for Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. 

Mantel’s style is very descriptive and she observes background events and conversations beautifully.  In this reviewer’s opinion, her style mostly works, although occasionally the pace does slow.  The King is busy denying Queen Katherine of Aragon in accordance with advice from his courtiers.  This advice contrasts with the stern response of the Pope and provides a sense of tension in the story.  Bringing his common sense and legally trained mind to bear on what’s going on, Cromwell gives the King strategic advice, rather than telling the King what he wants to hear.  Consequently the King appreciates that in Cromwell he has found an advisor who is not just out for himself. 

Whether the older Cromwell continues to be so selfless is not in this book’s ambit.  Wolf Hall, by the way, is the home of Jane Seymour’s family.  Her story comes after the specific timeframe of this novel.  However she is there almost from the beginning as lady-in-waiting to the new Queen, Anne Boleyn.  It’s altogether a clever new approach to some important British history.

As a reader one feels privileged to be a fly on the wall as Cromwell's life unfolds with its daily opportunities, tragedies and comic moments.  Warning: as it’s such a whopper, you may choose to skim read Wolf Hall, but the language of many passages is such that it’s well worth slowing down in order to savour it.

Wings by Raymond Huber

Wings by Raymond Huber Walker Books $19.99

We first met Ziggy the bee in Raymond Huber’s book Sting.  Young Ziggy is a bee who gets into lots of adventures, many of them quite risky.  This book was shortlisted for several awards including the NZ Post Book Awards for Children and Adults. 

Ziggy is back in a new adventure called Wings.  Huber has definitely got a thing about honey bees and the important part they play in our lives.  He takes these facts and has Ziggy and his fellow-bees illustrate them for us while they explore and get up to all sorts of hi-jinks.  Learning by stealth?  For sure!

In Wings Ziggy and his friends have been transported to Tokyo by scientist and friend to these bees, Sparkles to him, Sophie to us.  They meet some Japanese bees and their adventures begin with a big hornet as the nasty bad guy.  There is also a mystery danger to all the bees in the world that Sophie is hoping her Japanese friends will help her prevent.

This is a great adventure story that kids can read with wide open imaginations.  Great plots, clear action and strong relationships make for a great story. The main characters just happen to be bees!  Sell it to your young customers as a great adventure story for 8 to 11 year olds and you will be doing them a great favour.

Traitor by Stephen Daisley

Traitor by Stephen Daisley, Text Publishing $39 out now

Ex New Zealand infantryman, now Western Australian husband and father, Stephen Daisley takes us back to Gallipoli in 1915 in his novel Traitor.

 Mahmoud, a British trained Turkish doctor, is in the trenches with Kiwi soldier, David, when a shell bursts overhead injuring them both.  During their convalescence Mahmoud shares his Sufi beliefs and traditions with David, while David is allowed to guard his new close friend.  When it becomes clear that Mahmoud will be treated as an enemy rather than as an ally David engineers an escape attempt.  However in a Sufi-like way, this cataclysmic moment is a long time coming as we share the many private moments of these two men from opposite cultures. 

David’s choice to betray his country for his friend leads to the severest punishment, which is avoided in a very Anzac way.  He is allowed to serve the rest of the war as a stretcher bearer, where a new compassionate David is much valued by those he assists.  However when we meet David as old man sheep farming back in New Zealand, his world is still in tatters from his war experience. The man who returned to heartland New Zealand is not the one who left and his new compassion and quietly whispered about history separate him from the tough society of post war rural New Zealand.

This is definitely a story of mate-ship, but also one of humanity.  The relationships ring true and the story will delight.

Telling Tales, A Life in Writing by William Taylor

Telling Tales, A Life in Writing by William Taylor, $39.99 HarperCollins Published May 2010

William Taylor is well known to many New Zealanders through his more than 30 published novels, most for young people. Blue Lawn and Jerome both captured the angst of being young and gay in this country and, despite some controversy, both have sold well.

In Telling Tales Taylor, now in his early seventies and the recipient of many awards (Taylor was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 for his services to children's literature), writes about his own life starting when he was about six or seven and living along with his siblings and mother in Levin – at that time his father was abroad fighting in WWII. A quirky and forthright individual who was also very stylish and hugely competent in matters usually handled by men, his mother was unlike most others to be found in provincial towns of the time. In due course Taylor senior returned from the war and the family moved from pillar to post over the next few years as various business ventures were started and, unfortunately, went on to fail. In this prologue Taylor details his family connections back to England, along with the actual migration of his grandparents and goes on to write about his family’s links to the Hutt Valley. In many ways his was the typical life of a young person of this era, i.e. a member of a family where the parents struggle to make ends meet as they get on with bringing up their children.

Taylor goes on to describe the many parts of New Zealand that he got to know as a child – and later as a schoolteacher and much-esteemed headmaster, and the books he wrote in each of these places.

Telling Tales is a story of a certain generation of New Zealander for whom private matters are kept private. We do learn that as a teenager he was very shy, while he describes his sister as being quite interested in the opposite sex. However, nothing is revealed of Taylor’s private life after his marriage to Delia ends, other than an admission that his ongoing sexual confusion led to his marriage break-up. On the pendulum of sexuality he puts himself somewhere in between heterosexual and homosexual.  And he reflects that his 10-year marriage is the longest intimate relationship he’s ever maintained. Is the reader entitled to know more intimate details than this?  Probably not, but more self-examination and sharing may have made for a more gripping and interesting life story, an actual autobiography. But at the end of the day this story of a writer producing the words that become books is in itself well told. 

Surfer Boys : Gay Erotic Stories edited by Neil Plakcy

Surfer Boys : Gay Erotic Stories edited by Neil Plakcy $33.99

A cover shot of a cute everyman clutching his surfboard attracted me to this book.  Plakcy has collected together an anthology of sexy stories from writers from many parts of the globe.  The common thread to Surfer Boys is the world of surf, wetsuits and board shorts.  The beaches aren’t all the Californian clichés with Texas, Sydney and even Tunisia setting the sexy scenes.  One story questions if a gay guy can be hard enough to surf, another is the story of a man getting over a break up and finding new beginnings on a beach as he rescues a fallen surfer.

Plakcy’s own experience as a writer and as editor of a previous collection of erotica show in his selction of well crafted stories.  And yes you might need a tissue or two to clean up the aftermath, but these are also great stories that celebrate sex, a little romance and the pleasures and potential of guy-love.

There are 19 stories in all from many noted writers.  This is a diverse and yes sexy collection to tide you through until your life next includes your own Mr Sexy Boardshorts.